Collapsible stool



Feb; 27, 1962 s. s. GIRLING COLLAPSIBLE STOOL Filed Dec. 15, 1958 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 llwtwrak SIDNEY S. GIRLING 3) Feb. 27, 1962 s. s. GlRLlNG COLLAPSIBLE STOOL 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 15. 1958 //Vl [TOR SIDNEY s. emune ,qTraRA/EJI Feb. 27, 1962 s. S.YGIRLING. 3,0

' COLLAPSIBLE STOOL I Filed Dec. 15, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet s INVENWR' SIDNEY S. (-EIRLING 19 Twin 5r;

Feb. 27, 1962 s. s. GIRLING 3,023,046

COLLAPSIBLE STOOL Filed Dec. 15. 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet '4 Y SIDNEY s. eua'ums krrakuiy 33323346 CGLLAPSIBLE SEOUL Sidney S. Gliding, I560 Mileva Lane, RR. 5, Victoria, British (Columbia, Canada Filed Dec. 15, I958, Ser. No. 7%,595 13 -Claims. (El. 297-156) This invention relates to improvements in collapsible and portable stools.

The present stool is particularly designed as part of an easel, but it is to be understood that it may be made on its own and used for any desired purpose. The stool collapses into a neat and light bundle which may be easily carried about, and therefore, it would be useful to persons who would like to take a seat or stool along with them on different occasions, such as for sports events, parades, and the like.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a collapsible stool for use with an easel or other pur poses having only three legs so that it is stable when used on uneven ground. The stool includes a flexible seat formed of suitable material, such as canvas, and it is so designed that there are no bars along the two sides and the back of the seat, a feature conducive to the comfort of the user.

Another object is the provision of a stool having a comparatively wide seat and yet may be folded into a small compact bundle.

Another object is the provision of a seat easel having arms diverging upwardly from the seat so as to afford maximum of support for a picture carried by arms. As the arms diverge upwardly, the larger the picture the wider is the support beneath'the upper edge thereof.

A still further object is the provision of a seat easel adapted to hold the canvas or paper in any desired position relative to the seat from the vertical to the horizontal.

Yet another object is the provision of a stool that may be quickly and easily collapsed and erected, and which is of such simple design that it may be inexpensively manufactured.

A collapsible stool according to the present invention comprises a longitudinal and two lateral legs sloping downwardly and outwardly from each other from a central point, said longitudinal leg extending upwardly beyond the central point to form a seat support, said lateral legs crossing at the central point and extending upwardly to form seat supports, means at the central point carried by the longitudinal leg swingably supporting the lateral legs for substantially vertical swinging movement, and a substantially triangular flexible seat secured at corners thereof to the leg supports above the central point whereby the weight of a person on the seat tends through the leg supports to spread the lateral legs from the longitudinal leg and said legs from three bearing points supporting the stool with stability on even and uneven ground.

Examples of the present invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one form of collapsible stool set up ready for use,

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the stool with part of the seat broken away,

FIGURE 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3--3 of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the stool partially collapsed into a bundle,

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to FIGURE 5 showing the stool in its final bundled form,

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of an alternative form of collapsible stool set up for use,

FIGURE 8 is a side elevation of the stool of FIG URE 7,

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary cross section taken on the line -9 of FIGURE 8,

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary cross section taken on the line 10-16 of FIGURE 8,

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary cross section taken on the line 11-11 of FIGURE 8,

FIGURE 12 is a plan view of the stool of FIGURE 7 partially collapsed into a bundle, and

FIGURE 13 is a view similar to FIGURE 12 showing the final stool bundle.

Referring to FIGURES l to 6 of the drawings, 10 is a combination stool easel consisting of a stool 11 carrying an easel 12.

The stool It] is made up of a longitudinal leg 15 and two lateral or transverse legs 17 and 18. These legs slope downwardly and outwardly from each other from a central point or area 20. Longitudinal leg 15 is preferably made up of two side members 22 and 23 which are connected together at their lower ends 24 and diverge upwardly. Although the lower ends of these side members may be connected directly to each other, it has been found advantageous to space said ends apart by a block 25 therebetween. With this construction, the member ends and the block form the lower end of longitudinal leg I5. In other words, leg 15 is substantially V-shaped. Legs I'Tand 18 extend between the side members 22 and 23 of the longitudinal leg and cross each other at the central point 20 which is within the longitudinal leg side members. The lateral or transverse legs are swingably connected together by a pin 27 extending therethrough at the crossover and at central point 20. This pin is substantially vertical so that the transverse legs may be swung towards and away from each other. Suitable means is provided for swiugably connecting the transverse legs to the longitudinal leg at central point 26. In this example, a bracket 29 is secured to leg 18 by the pivot pin 27. This bracket has upwardly-extending lugs 3!} through which a pin or axle 31 extends, said pin or axle extending through the side members 22 and 23 and is carried thereby. In other words, the bracket and horizontal pin forms means for swingably connecting the transverse legs to the longitudinal leg so that the former may be swung vertically relative to the latter. Furthermore, with the bracket and lug construction shown, said bracket acts as spacing means to keep the upper ends of said members 22 and 23 apart.

The longitudinal and transverse legs extend upwardly above central point 20 to form seat supports. For ex ample, legs 17 and 18 extend upwardly to form supports 34 and 35, respectively. As the longitudinal leg in this example is made up of the diverging side members 22 and 23, these members extend upwardly beyond the central point to form seat supports 37 and 38. I

A flexible seat 42 is provided. This seat is formed of any suitable material, such as canvas. It is preferably substantially in the form of a triangle, and may be reinforced along its side edges 43 and 44, and along its back or outer end 45 in any convenient manner, such as by folding the canvas over to provide at least a double thickness along these edges of the seat. Corners 47 and 48 are preferably removably connected to the outer or free ends of supports 34 and 35 in any convenient manner. In this example, rings 5% and 51 are connected to corners 47 and 48, respectively, and these rings fit over the ends of supports 34 and 35. Grooves 53 and 54 may be formed in supports 34 and 35 at the upper ends thereof into which rings 5% and 51 removably fit, these grooves preventing the rings from slipping down the leg supports.

Suitable means is provided for connecting the forward or inner edge 56 of seat 4 2 to the upper end of the longitudinal leg support which is formed by supports 37 and 38. This may be accompanied by a rod or pin 57 which extends through supports 37 and 33 at or near the upper ends thereof. This pin also extends through a loop 58 along the inner edge of the seat which is formed by doubling the material of the seat back on itself. If desired, a tube oil may he placed on pin 57, as shown in FIGURE 2, to act as a spacer between longitudinal leg supports 37 and 38 to keep said supports apart either alone or along with bracket 2?, as illustrated. Thus, seat 42 is supported along its narrow forward edge 56 and at its corners 47 and 48, edges 43, 44 and 45 being free.

The construction of stool i1 is such that when a person rests on seat 42, his weight tends through leg supports 34, 35, 37 and 38 to spread the lateral legs 17 and 18 from each other and from the longitudinal leg 15. The seat itself limits this spreading movement of the legs, and the latter form three bearing points for supporting the stool on even or uneven ground. As collapsible stools of this nature are more often than not used outdoors, this threepoint bearing for the stool has the advantage that the latter is stable even when set up on uneven ground. Another advantage of the stool described so far is that rings 50 and 51 may be removed from lateral legs supports 34 and 35 to release seat 42, after which the lateral legs may be swung together and then moved into the space between the side members 22 and 23 of the longitudinal leg.

Easel 12 consists of a pair of arms 62 and es remov ably o-r swingably connected to the upper ends of the longitudinal leg supports 37 and 38, respectively. In this example, the arms are hingedly connected to their respective side member supports by means of wing nuts and bolts 64- and 55. As the side members 22 and 23 diverge from the lower end 24 of the longitudinal leg, easel arms 62 and 63 also diverge. It will be noted that these arms are located outwardly of the leg side members so that they may be swung downwardly beside said members. Arm 62 is provided with a plurality of spaced holes 67 into which a peg or holder 68 removably fits, while arm 63 has spaced holes 69 therein into which a peg or holder 70 fits.

A tray 72 is hingedly mounted on supports 37 and 38 at or above seat 42. In this example, the tray is provided with lugs 73 which overlap the two supports, said lugs being swingably mounted on pin 57. This tray may be folded or swing upwardly against supports 37 and 38, and it is movable downwardly into a substantially horizontal position, at which times the inner edge 74- thereof abuts against the supports.

When the stool easel It} is set up as shown in FIGURE 1, it is ready for use. The picture being worked on, indicated by broken lines at 76, rests on holders 68 and 70, and arms 62 and 63. These arms may be swung anywhere from the vertical to the horizontal to suit the painters purpose. As previously stated, legs 15, 17 and 18 form a 3-point support for a person sitting on seat 42. The artist can move towards and back from his canvas without undue discomfort since the edges 4-3, 44 and 45 of the seat are free and do not have any wood or metal bracing. A man usually straddles the seat, while a lady may sit more or less sideways on it with both legs at one side thereof.

An important feature of this stool easel is that it may be quickly and easily collapsed into a small and compact bundle which may be very easily carried. In order to do this, rings 50 and 51 are removed from the ends of supports 34 and 35, lateral legs 17 and 18 are swung together around pivot pin 27, and then these legs are swung around pin 31 into a position between the side members 22 and 23 and leg 15. FIGURE 4 shows the legs in this position. Then easel arms 62 and 63 are swung into positions beside the side members 22 and 23. Following this, seat 42 is drawn around the bundle and rings t and 51 are placed over a catch '78 which projects from support 34 for this purpose. If desired, tie strings 79 which are secured to the underside of seat 42 may be brought upand tied over the aligned lateral legs 17 and 18 to complete the bundle as shown in FIGURE 6. Thus the stool easel is folded into a compact and easily carried bundle. The bundle may be conveniently carried by grasping the aligned, transverse legs between catch '78 and strings '79.

In order to set up the stool easel, strings '79 are untied and the seat rings are removed from catch 78. The lateral legs are swung around relative to the longitudinal leg and spread laterally so that the ends of supports 3 and 35 may be inserted in the seat rings. When arms 62 and 63 are swung into a generally upwardly extending position, the stool easel is ready for use.

FIGURES 7 to 13 illustrate a stool easel of a design that lends itself to metal construction, such as aluminum tubing. It, however, may be constructed of wood or any other suitable material the same as the stool easel it), although the latter has been primarily designed for construction from wood.

The stool easel 85 comprises a stool 37 and an easel 88. The stool includes a longitudinal leg which is preferably made up of diverging side members 91 and 92. These members are connected together at their lower ends, and it is preferable to do this by means of a web $3 which separates said ends a little. The side members of the leg extend above a central point 5 5 to form longitudinal leg supports 96 and 97.

Lateral transverse legs Tilt) and Till, diverge downwardly from the central point, and cross over at said point to form upwardly-extending seat supports 1&3 and 194-. Spaced lower and upper bars 107 and Aid extend between the side members 91 and 2 and are carried thereby near the central point of the stool. These bars keep said side members apart, and curve outwardly away from each other to provide a space lid therebetween through which transverse legs 1M and Hit may extend. Stop means 112 and 113 are provided on the transverse legs 1% and 101, respectively, above the upper bar 1%, and the support iii? of leg 1% rests on the lower crossbar 167, while the support 104 of leg 1G1 rests on support res. If desired, the transverse legs may bear against the lower edge of the upper bar, but it has been found desirable to make said bar relatively wide and to form inwardly-extending notches 115 and 116 therein. By referring to FIGURE 10, it will be noted that notch 116 is deeper than notch 115. Leg 166 fits in notch 1115, and leg T391 fits in notch 116, see FIGURE 9. The depths of these notches are such that they allow for the cross over of the lateral legs while allowing the bar to rest on both of said legs.

A flexible seat 120 formed of canvas or other suitable material is fixedly connected at 1-22 and 123 to the upper ends of the lateral leg supports 163 and TM. The inner end of the seat is supported by a pin or bar 125 extending through and carried by the supports 96 and 97 of the longitudinal leg. The seat is substantially triangular in shape and is supported at its inner end and two outer corners, leaving the side edges 127 and 128, and back or rear edge 129 free.

Lateral legs ltd) and 101 are formed at the lower ends with outwardly-extending toes 132 and 133 which extend horizontally when the legs are in their normal inclined positions.

A tray 136 is swingably mounted on the longitudinal leg supports 6 and 97. In this example, the tray is provided with lugs 137 that are hingedly mounted on pin 125. The inner edge 138 of the tray bears against the adjacent supports when the tray is in a substantially horizontal position.

Easel arms 140 and 141 are hingedly connected to the upper ends of supports 96 and 97. These arms may be provided with angular extensions 143 and 144 which are connected to the leg supports by wing nut and bolt arrangements 145 and 145, respectively. Arms 140 and 141 F J are provided with spaced holes 149 and 15% therein into which pegs or holders 152 and 153 removably fit.

The stool easel 85 is used and functions in the same manner as stool easel 10. When erected, the painter sits on seat 120 facing easel arms 14% and 1 .1 which may be swung into any desirable position between the vertical and horizontal. The painting on which work is being done may be supported by arms 140 and 141 and holders 152 and 153, the position of the painting being illustrated by broken lines 156 in FIGURE 7. The longitudinal and lateral legs provide a three-point bearing for the stool and provide the latter with stability on uneven ground.

When a person sits on seat 120, the downward pressure tends to move the upper ends of supports 193 and 104 downwardly and away from the upper ends of supports 96 and 97, while tending to move said ends of supports 96 and 97 downwardly through bar 125. Seat 120 itself prevents the movement of supports 153-104 away from supports 96-97, and it prevents the movement of sup port 103 away from support 194. Supports 96 and 97 cannot swing downwardly since they are connected to bar 108 which rests on legs 100 and 1611 supported by the floor. Furthermore, supports 1113 and 104 cannot swing downwardly because they rest on bar 1157 connected to side members 91 and 2 of longitudinal leg 90 which, in turn, is supported by the floor. These supports 103 and 104 are prevented from sliding longitudinally in a downward direction by stops 112 and 113 secured thereto, said stops abutting against bar 1118. From this it will be seen that stool 85 will support a person on seat 121) in view of the fact that supports 1433 and 104 cannot swing away from each other or from supports 91 and 92 and cannot swing downwardly and that said supports 91 and 92 cannot swing downwardly.

When it is desired to collapse stool easel 85, the lateral legs 100 and 101 are swung downwardly out of notches 115 and 116 and move together. The swinging action is continued until these legs are positioned approximately between the side members 11 and 92 of the longitudinal leg 90 and extend through space 110, between bars 107 and 168. The lateral or transverse legs are positioned with the toes 132 and 133 thereof over web 93 of the longitudinal leg, as shown in FIGURE 12. The fold 158 of seat 120 is drawn towards the web as far as possible. The easel arms 140 and 141 are then swung down into positions alongside the transverse legs, as shown in FIGURE 13. The nut and bolt arrangements 145 and 146 are tightened to hold the arms in this position. It will be noted that these arms are located between the curved centre portion 159 of lower bar 107 and lugs 160 and 161 formed on the upper bar 168 and extending outwardly therefrom over the longitudinal leg side members 91 and 92. The seat easel is now in a small compact bundle. The transverse legs are held between the lower and upper bars 107 and 108 and extend over web 93. The stiffness of the folded seat 120 prevents these lateral legs from moving longitudinally from the bundle.

In order to erect the seat easel, the easel arms are swung outwardly substantially into line with the side members 91 and 92. Then the transverse legs are shifted longitudinally of the bundle sufficiently to clear the toes 132 and 133 of the web 93. The transverse legs are now swung outwardly into their inclined positions and their lower ends are swung away from each other. These legs are then inserted in notches 115 and 116 and moved until the stop collars 112 and 113 bear against the upper bar 108, at which time leg rests on the lower bar 107. When tray 136 is swung downwardly, the stool easel is ready for use.

Stool 87 may be used without easel 88. In this case, the seat supports 96 and 97 would terminate at bar 125.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A collapsible stool comprising two side members connected together at lower ends thereof and diverging upwardly therefrom as a longitudinal leg, a pair of transverse legs extending between the side members and crossing each other at a central point at the longitudinal leg, said transverse legs having lower ends spreading away from each other and from the lower end of the longitudinal leg, means at the central point carried by the side members swingably supporting the crossed transverse legs, the crossed transverse legs and the side members extending upwardly above the central point to form seat supports, said transverse legs being movable together and swingable into a collapsed position side by side between the two side members, a flexible seat, means at two corners at one end of the seat connecting the latter to the transverse leg supports, and means connecting the opposite end of the seat to the supports of the side members, said seat limiting the spreading movement of the longitudinal and transverse legs away from each other under the weight of a person resting on the seat and said legs forming three bearing points supporting the stool with stability on even and uneven ground.

2. A collapsible stool as claimed in claim 1 including easel arms substantially aligned with and hingedly con nected to the side member supports for movement between the vertical and the horizontal, and means for releasably securing each arm in any adjusted position, said arms when in use diverging upwardly away from each other.

3. A collapsible stool as claimed in claim 1 in which the two corners of the seat are removably connected to the transverse leg supports.

4. A collapsible stool comprising two side members connected together at lower ends thereof and diverging upwardly therefrom as a longitudinal leg, a pair of transverse legs extending between the side members crossing each other and pivotally connected together at the crossover at a central point at the longitudinal leg, said transverse legs having lower ends spreading away from each other and from the lower end of the longitudinal leg, the transverse legs and the side members extending up Wardly above the central point to form seat supports, a pin extending between and carried by the side members at said central point, means connecting the transverse legs to said pin whereby said legs may be swung together and into a collapsed position between the two side members, a flexible seat, means at two corners at one end of the seat connecting the latter to the transverse leg supports, and means connecting the opposite end of the seat to the supports of the side members, said seat limiting the spreading movement of the longitudinal and transverse legs away from each other under the weight of a person resting on the seat and said legs forming three bearing points supporting the stool with stability on even and uneven ground.

5. A collapsible stool comprising two side members connected together at lower ends thereof and diverging upwardly therefrom as a longitudinal leg, a pair of transverse legs extending between the side members crossing each other and pivotally connected together at the crossover at a central point at the longitudinal leg, said transverse legs having lower euds spreading away from each other and from the lower end of the longitudinal leg, the'transverse legs and the side members extending up wardly above the central point to form seat supports, a pin extending between and carried by the side members at said central point, means connecting the transverse legs to said pin whereby said legs may be swung together and into a collapsed position between the two side members, an easel arm swingably connected to each side member support and swingable from a position lying beside the longitudinal leg to a position substantially aligned with its side member, means releasably securing each arm in any adjusted position, a flexible seat, means at two corners at one end of the seat connecting the latter to the transverse leg supports, and means connecting the opposite end of the seat to the supports of the side members, said seat limiting the spreading movement of the aeaacte longitudinal and transverse legs away from each other under the weight of a person resting on the seat and said legs forming three bearing points supporting the stool with stability on even and uneven ground.

6. A collapsible stool as claimed in claim in which the two corners of the seat are removably connected. to the transverse leg supports so that said seat may be wrapped around the legs and arms when the legs are collapsed and the arms are lying beside the longitudinal leg.

7. A collapsible stool comprising two side members connected together at lower ends thereof and diverging upwardly therefrom as a longitudinal leg, a pair of transverse legs extending between the side members crossing each other at a central point at the longitudinal leg, 21 bar extending between and fixed to the side members near the central point and resting on the transverse legs, support means carried by the side members beneath and supporting the transverse legs, stop means on the trans verse legs above the bar and abutting the latter, said transverse legs having lower ends spreading away from each other and from the lower end of the longitudinal leg, the transverse legs and the side members extending upwardly above the central point to form seat supports, said transverse legs being movable together and swingable into a collapsed position between the two side members, a flexible seat, means at two corners at one end of the seat connecting the latter to the transverse leg supports, and means connecting the opposite end of the seat to the supports of the side members, said seat limiting the spreading movement of the longitudinal and transverse legs away from each other under the weight of a person resting on the seat and said legs forming three bearing points supporting the stool with stability on even and uneven ground.

8. A collapsible stool comprising two side members connected together at lower ends thereof and diverging upwardly therefrom as a longitudinal leg, a pair of transverse legs extending between the side members crossing each other at a central point at the longitudinal leg, spaced upper and lower bars extending between and fixed to the side members near said central point between which the crossed legs extend, said legs being supported by the lower bar, stop means on the transverse legs above the upper bar and abutting the latter, said transverse legs having lower ends spreading away from each other and from the lower end of the longitudinal leg, the transverse legs and the side members extending upwardly above the central point to form seat supports, said transverse legs being movable together and swingable into a collapsed position between the two side members, a flexible seat, means at two corners at one end ofthe seat connecting the latter to the transverse leg supports, and means connecting the opposite end of the seat to the supports of the side members, said seat limiting the spreading movement of the longitudinal and transverse legs away from each other under the weight of a person resting on the seat and said legs forming three bearing points supporting the stool with stability on even and uneven ground.

9. A collapsible stool as claimed in claim 8 including an easel arm connected to each side member'support and swingable from a position lying beside the longitudinal leg to a position substantially aligned with its side member, and means releasably securing each arm to the side member thereof, said arms when in use diverging upwardly away from each other.

10. A collapsible stool as claimed in claim 1 including spacing means connected to the side members fixedly to maintain the seat supports of said side members spaced from each other.

11. A collapsible stool comprising two side members fixedly connected together at lower ends thereof and diverging upwardly therefrom as a longitudinal leg, spacing means connected to the side members fixedly to maintain upper ends of said members apart, a pair of transverse legs extending between the side members at a central point relative to the latter and crossing each other at said central point, means carried by the side members at the central point and connected to the transverse legs at the crossing thereof swingably supporting said transverse legs, the crossed transverse legs and the side members extending upwardly above the central point to form seat supports, said transverse legs being movable together and swingable into a collapsed position side by side between the two side members, a flexible seat, means at two corners at one end of the seat connecting the latter to the transverse leg supports, and means connecting the opposite end of the seat to the supports of the side members.

12. A collapsible stool comprising two side members connected together at lower ends thereof and diverging upwardly therefrom as a longitudinal leg, a pair of transverse legs extending between the side members crossing each other and pivotally connected together for transverse swinging action by a pivot pin at the crossover at a central point relative to the longitudinal leg, said transverse legs having lower ends spreading away from each other and from the lower end of the longitudinal leg, the transverse legs and the side members extending upwardly above the central point to form seat supports, a supporting pin extending between and carried by the side members at said central point, a bracket secured to the transverse legs by the pivot pin thereof and swingably' connected to the supporting pin whereby said transverse legs may be swung together and into a collapsed position between the two side members, a flexible seat, means at two corners at one end of the seat connecting the latter to the transverse leg supports, and means connecting the opposite end of the seat to the supports of the side members.

13. A collapsible stool as claimed in claim 8 in which the upper and lower bars are curved outwardly away from each other to permit the transverse legs extending therebetween to lie substantially parallel with the longitudinal leg side members when swung between said members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 180,073 Skinner July 18, 1876 337,715 Tietze Mar. 9, 1886 574,011 Springsted Dec. 29, 1896 793,507 Cobb June 27, 1905 979,959 Johnson Dec. 27, 1910 1,044,196 Lang Nov. 12, 1912 1,378,613 Putman May 17, 1921 2,587,543 Smith Feb. 26, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 449,994

' Italy Feb. ll, 1949 

